Catterick, Wednesday 8 April 2026 – Tips & Selections
Good ground at Catterick today across all eight races, and the flat season is firmly underway up in North Yorkshire. Three races stand out for punters looking for value: the 7f maiden at 2:48, the 5f handicap at 2:13, and the 6f handicap under the lights at 5:05. Let's get into it.
2:13 — Download The Raceday Ready App Handicap (5f, Good, 10 runners)
A competitive little 5f three-year-old handicap to kick things off, and the form lines from the all-weather winter converge nicely here. Two horses catch the eye.
O Fortuna Each-Way (13/2, Bet365) is the one I want to be on. Tim Easterby's yard has won the last two runnings of this exact race, and that's the kind of trainer angle you don't ignore. He's a half-brother to smart sprinter Adresita, he's been gelded since his underwhelming juvenile campaign, and moving into handicap company often sparks exactly this type of improver. The market will tell you a lot here, and if he's backed from 13/2, follow the money. Good ground suits the Easterby yard's juveniles-turned-three-year-olds at this time of year.
Brave Traveller (6/1, Bet365) is respected. Bryan Smart's yard is in cracking form at 2/6 over the last 14 days, he won a 6f Newcastle handicap in December, and he faded into fifth on his return last month which is bang in line with needing the outing. Drops to 5f for the first time but showed turf promise early doors. Paul Mulrennan takes the ride. At 6/1, this is solid each-way territory too in a 10-runner handicap, but O Fortuna gets the nod as the headline selection.
2:48 — Visit racingtv.com Maiden Stakes (7f, Good, 11 runners)
Three horses worth discussing here, but the race looks like a two-horse affair between the market leaders.
North Force (7/2, Unibet) is a Frankel colt out of a Group 2 winner, and he's arguably the most exciting horse on the entire Catterick card today. Placed twice at Doncaster and Redcar over 6f and 7f last year, and the Redcar effort is particularly noteworthy given he lost ground at the start when his blindfold got stuck. That's free form. Good ground today suits, and seven furlongs at Catterick plays to his profile. Richard and Peter Fahey's yard is ticking along at 3/27 in the last fortnight, nothing spectacular, but this horse doesn't need the stable to be firing on all cylinders. He looks a cut above most of these.
Jeddaal (2/1, Unibet) is the market leader and deserves respect. Ed Walker's colt has an RPR of 80, genuine 7f form on good ground, and arrives gelded after flopping on soft last time. If he's recaptured anywhere near his best juvenile form, he's right in this. But 2/1 is short for a horse whose best was "fair form" as a two-year-old. North Force at 7/2 offers superior value with a bigger upside.
Decem Starr (13/2, Unibet) rounds out the shortlist. Gelded over winter, second at Leicester over 7f on good last September. He'll give a good account but is likely third best here.
5:05 — racingtv.com Handicap (6f, Good, 9 runners)
The most interesting puzzle of the day. Catterick's left-hand configuration matters here, and the going question is significant for several runners.
Trilby (11/4, Bet365) heads the market and has genuine claims. He won a C&D here, had a wind op that transformed him in autumn 2025, and blew the start at Newcastle last month on his reappearance. Sam England's yard is quiet at 1/15 over 14 days, which gives me slight pause, and the good ground is quicker than ideal for him. He's the class act in the race but I want to oppose him at 11/4 with something with more upside.
Miraculous Each-Way (10/1, PricedUp Bet) is the angle I love here. His two highest RPRs under Roger Varian both came around a left-hand bend at Chester. Catterick is a left-hand track. He won off 1lb lower than today's mark last July at Chester. He arrives for a new stable after a 28,000gns sale, well drawn for his debut for the Tim Easterby yard, and the Spotlight explicitly says the market is instructive. Yes, Easterby is cold at 0/18 in 14 days, but horses switching stables often take time to show form anyway, and at 10/1 the left-hand track angle and the Chester form make this a genuine each-way steal in a nine-runner handicap.
Aberama Gold (7/2, Spreadex) is a solid favourite alternative. Won three times in 2025 off today's mark or higher, David Tudhope aboard, and David O'Meara's yard at 2/22 is quiet but not dead. He's the banker type if you want the race winner, but 7/2 on a nine-year-old doesn't excite me for value.
Valley Of The Kings (17/2, Spreadex) also catches the eye as a left-hand bend specialist going back to his preferred configuration. Jack Dace claiming 5lbs keeps the weight down, and Dylan Cunha's yard is in form at 3/20.
Today's NAP
Odds: 7/2 — Unibet (others: 4.5 Betfair Exchange, 10/3 Bet365)
A Frankel colt out of a Group 2 winner who was arguably unlucky not to win at Redcar last autumn when he lost ground at the start due to a stuck blindfold, and still ran on strongly. He steps up to 7f on good ground today at Catterick and looks a class above the majority of these rivals. The market has him as second favourite behind Jeddaal, but at 7/2 the pedigree ceiling is considerably higher and the untapped potential is the key selling point. Fahey fields a colt who has more to offer than anything else in this field, and today's conditions are exactly what he wants.